Treatment of hydrocarbons



V.lume 9,1925. l l 1,541,697

G. F. FORWOOD ET Al.

TREATMENT OF HYDROCARBONS,

Fiied July 5, 1921 w' lli Ill'ijiM! Wynn-3 Patented June 9, v1925.

' 4UNITED STATES l-iaTEN'l OFFWE- GEORGE FREDERICK vFORWOOID vAND JOHNGILBERT TAPLAY, F LONDON,'ENGLAND, .ASSIGNORS T0 UNITED KINGDOM OILCOMPANY LIMITED, OEy LONDON, ENGLAND.

TREATMENT 0F HY'DROCARBONS.

Application med July 5,

of the King of Great Britain, residing at` London, England, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in the Treatment ofHydrocarbons (for which I have filed an application in Great Britain,April 16, 1919), of which fication.

This invention consists in treating various oils of the hydrocarbontype, and having a- L mJector into a retort in which the carbon is .highboiling point, at temperatures suitable 'for the particular oil to betreated, bypassing their vapours mixed with steam or Water vapour overhot carbon (wood peat or other vegetableor animal charcoal or such likecarbonaceous matter) capable of decomposing the steam or. water vapour.when both the oil vapour and the steam or water vapour are at the sametemperature, so that the carbon liberates hydrogen from. the steam andthe hydrogen is taken up by the oil, hydrogenating it, the object beingto obtain an oil or spirit such as petrol `suitable as a motor fuel orfor other uses.

In order that the carbon shall be suitable it must be in a physicalcondition in which it will decompose steam or water vapour at thetemperature used.

For the purpose ofour invention we do not employ graphite retort carbonand coke.

In our previous British Patent Application No. 133,059 dated 12thDecember 1916 correspondent to United States Patent No. 1,440,286,granted December 26, 1922, and to which our present invention relates wehave referred to treating hydrocarbon oils ata temperature of about 500C. but with some classes of oil it is preferred to use highertemperatures for ethciently cracking and liydrogenatmg such oils andthese tempera-- tures vary accord ing to the class of bil to be treated.

F or instance in treating paraffin oil, boiling point 140 to 320 C., weprefer a temperature of 550 to 600 C., kerosene oil, boiling point180-to 350 C., we prefer a temperature of 600 to 630 C., solar oil,-boiling point 280 to 370 C., we prefer a temperature-of 650 to 700 C.,creosote oil, boiling point 180 to 270 C., we prefer a the following isa specl- 19.21. serial No. 482,552.

temperature of 65.0 to 750 C., and anthracene oil, boiling point 270 to400 C., We prefer a temperature of T 50 to 800 C., and with regard tosome classes of heavy paraihn oils such. as is used for fuel only, a

.temperature of 850 to 950 C. is requisite vfor the proper treatment andthis is due to such oils having different compositions. to those alreadydescribed although the boiling points and specific gravities of thefractions are similar.

In all cases the oil is forced through an the purpose of illust-ration,the drawing il-` lustrates a sectional elevation of an apparatussuitable for carrying out the improved process or method. I,

Referring to this drawing indetail, A is a tank for containing oil to betreated and has a pipe B connected thereto and leading from a suitableair compressor, not shown, and whereby air compression is passed to thetank to act upon the surface of the oil in the latter. A pipe C extendsdownwardly into and near the bottom of theA tank A and leads away fromthe top of the tank and connects with an injector nozzle D, adjacent tothe attachment to the nozzle of a steam pipe E leading from a suitablesource of steam supply for mixing steam with the atomized or vapourizedoil after it passes from the said injector I). Between the walls G of afurnace vor heater a retort MF is supported to an angle and has itslower .end connected to a continuation of the pipe C on the oppositeside of the injector -or nozzle `D and in advance of the connection oftlie'steam pipe E. 1Within the retort F is a perforated iron stop plateadapted to support charcoal I in the retort at the lower' end of thelatter. From the upper en of the retort a pipe J extends and isconnected by a branch pipe K and a dip pipe L to'a hydraulic main M fora passingr the products of distillation from the retort into said mainIand causing the products to pass through the liquid in the main, themain having an outlet N for oil and water.. The gases and vapours, afterpassing through 'the seal in the' hydraulic main M, are conveyed by apipe P into a plurality of condensers Q, which are cooled by eitherwater or air to atmospheric temperature, the' gases passing from onecondenser to another lthrough pipes R in the usual manner, the

water and oils condensed from the gases falling into the receivers Sfrom which they pass through pipe T to a storage tank.,l The cooledgases, still containing uncondensed vapours of; light spirits pass byway of 'pipe U to a scrubber V, for their removal. This scrubber isfilled with broken brick, coke,` c

covery of the absorbed'light spirit, and the scrubbed permanentV gases.pass away fromv the scrubber 'by -the rpipe b. Any liquid productsseparating from the 'gas passing through the pipe U, and falling intothe collecting 'chamber' Z are removed by ,the

'siphon pipe a, and mixed with the liquid lproducts from the condensersQ, "Q, Q.` It will bel understood that the retort F may be inclined inany suchl manner as renders it effective in the performance of itsfunction,

and that any typeof condenser may be employed, and that other devicessuch as rotary or centrifugal washer may be employed Vin place ofscrubbers.

To assist in the hydrogenation we may also -admit steam or water vapourat various parts of the retort viz,

(a)'At @right angles through the pipe c to the stream of oil vapours andsteam admitted through the injector at the back end of the retort F, orit may be admitted (b) At such an angle through the pipe d as will causeit to meet the said vapours or it may be admitted (c) At such an angleas. by the curved.

pipe e as will cause it to flow in the same direction as the saidvapours, or it may be admitted (al) At. the outlet end of the retort Fas by the pipe f so that it flows against the stream of vapoursaforesaid, or it may be admitted a (e) lSimultaneously in allthedirections mentioned.

, Although not absolutely necessary-it may be desirable to pre-heat theheavy oil, contained in the' reservoir under pressure, by.

-means of a steam coil fixed-in the reservoir, or bypassing the oilthrough a pipe heated by means of the waste gases from the furnaceheating the retort containing the carbon, or by other means. The oil is,thereby rendered less viscous and will flow more readily. 'l

It will be understood that anthrac'eno and ereosote are included for thepurpose of the present specilicationV under the/ term hy drocarbon asused in the claims hereto appended. l

vWhat we do claim as our invention and desire to secure, by LettersPatent is :-l

1. The process of treating'hydrocarbon oils, having boiling pointsfof'140 C. or more to obtain an'oil or `'spirit suitable as .motor fuel,consisting in atomizing the-oil in aretort, 'mixingthe Asame 'with waterva-` por or steam passed into lsaid retort from a different direction tothat a't which said oil isintroduced, passing the mixture over car,

bon in a light porous form maintained at a temperature varying from5500.0. to 950 C. according to the boiling point of theA oil, the`.vaporof which is being treated.

2. The process of treatingv hydrocarbon oils, having boiling points vof140. C. or Imore to obtain an` oil or spirit` suitable as motor fuel,consisting in atomizin@ the oil' in a retort, mixing' vthe same withwater vapor or steam passed into said retort from aplurality of diierentdirections to that at which said oil is introduced,l passing the mixtureover carbon in a light porous form maintained at a temperature varyin.from V550 to 950 C. according-to they iling .point of the oil, thevapor of which is being treated.

3. The process of 'treating kerosene, consi-stingin vaporizing same in aretort at the same time passingpsteam into said retort from a pluralityof directions and conducting the mixture of steam and vaporized oil overcarbon in a light porous form maintained at a temperature between 600and 630 C.

4. The process of treating a hydrocarbon oil having a boiling pointbetween 180O and `350 C., which comprises introducing such oil in onedirection into a retort, concurrently Jintroducing steam or water vaporinto the retort in an opposite direction, mixing the oill in an atomizedstate in the retort with the steam or water vapor, and passing the oiland steam or water vapor over carbon in' a light porous form while thelatter and the oil and steam or water vapor are maintained at atemperature between 600 and 630 C. ,v

5. The process of' treating kerosene, consisting in vaporizing the samein a retort,

'oncurrntly passihg steam 'miao said retort set our hands ilfpresenoe05E-two vsubscfibing from an opposite dxrection and conductingWitnesses.A

the-mixture of steam and vaporzed ol over GEORGE FREDERICK FORWOOD.carbon in a light porous form while main- JOHN GILBERT TM'LAY.

5 tained at a temperature between l600 and `VVitnesse's:

630 C. FRED W. SHIMP,

' In isetzilnolijwhercd we halve hereunto H. E. WRIGHT.

